Heel end assembling machines



Jan. 22, 15357 H. J. WlLLMOTT HEEL END ASSEMBLING MACHINES -2 Shets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 27, 1955 Jan. 22, 1957 H. J. WILLMOTT HEEL END ASSEMBLING MACHINES Filed Jan. 27, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Inventor Hrberz J h Ulmoiz 1 2,778,040 HEEL END ASSEMBLING MACHINES Application January 27, 1955, Serial No. 484,427 8 Claims. (Cl. 1212.3)

This invention relates to machines for use in the manufacture of shoes and is herein illustrated in its application to machines for assembling shoe upper parts on their lasts. A machine of this type is illustrated and described in United States Letters Patent No. 1,602,618, granted October 12, 1926, on an application filed in the name of Norwood H. Knowlton.

In the assembling of shoe upper materials on their lasts by means of machines of the type illustrated in the Knowlton patent above referred to, the location of the shoe upper parts relatively to each other and relatively to the last is dependent entirely upon the skill and care of the operator. No means is provided in the machine for assisting the operator in determining the position of the shoe parts relatively to the last. In the manufacture of shoes by means of automatic machinery it is of prime importance that the shoe upper parts be located in predetermined relation to the last in the assembling operation in order that the tip line and the throat will assume their proper positions relatively to the last. The correct location of the upper on the last in the assembling operation also insures a uniform distribution of upper materials along the sides of the last and eliminates the necessity for the practice which is now common in shoemaking of employing hand pincers to distribute and secure upper materials which, because of excessive fullness, cannot be properly handled by upper shaping machines. The correct location of the upper on the last in the assembling operation not only prepares the upper for the subsequent operation of upper shaping machines but also insures the faithful reproduction in the upper of the shape of the last and insures the manufacture of shoes which fit well and will retain their shape.

With the above and other objects in view, as will hereinafter appear, the present invention contemplates the provision in a shoe machine of novel means for determining a fixed position of a shoe last on a Work support in its loading station so that the position of a shoe upper loosely mounted on the last may be accurately determined by a gaging mechanism which, in the illustrated organization, comprises a projector mounted on the machine frame and arranged to cast a light beam on the upper to indicate the position of the back seam of the upper widthwise of the heel end of the last. In one aspect thereof the invention consists in the provision of suitable means for holding the work support against rotation on its longitudinal axis When the work support is in its loading station so that the last will assume a predetermined orientation when it is mounted on the work support, said holding means comprising a member fixed to the machine frame and cooperating means carried by the work support at a point intermediate between its last supporting end portion and the fulcrum on which the work support swings from its loading station to its operating station. In the illustrated organization the holding means operates only when the work support is in its loading station to hold the work support against movement widthwise of the last mounted thereon. In its preferred form the means for positioning the work support comprises a track and means movable in a path determined by the track. In the illustrated organization the track is fixed to an arm attached to the machine frame and a plurality of rolls carried by the work support engage the track thereby to atent determine the position of the Work support in its loading station.

In the illustrated organization the work support comprises a carrier and a spindle mounted on the carrier for endwise movement relatively thereto and the means for positioning and stabilizing the work support in its loading station includes means operating on the spindle between its extremity to hold the spindle against endwise movement.

In accordance with a further feature of the invention the work support includes a last pin assembly mounted on a suitable head on the Work support for angular movement between a first predetermined position which serves to locate a shoe relatively to the operating instrumentalities when the work support is in its operating station and a second predetermined position which serves to locate the heel end portion of a shoe in the field of a projector when the work support is in its loading station.

These and other features of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings and pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings,

Fig. 1 is a left side elevation of an assembling machine embodying the features of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a left side elevation illustrating parts of the work supporting mechanism;

Fig. 3 is a section on the line III-III of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a left side elevation illustrating the upper end portion of the work supporting assembly;

Fig. 5 is a plan view of the upper portion of the work supporting assembly;

Fig. 6 is a plan view of the rear portion of a last illustrating particularly the registration plate fixed to the plane cone face of the last;

Fig. 7 is a front elevation of the projector and its mounting means; and

Fig. 8 is a section on the line VIII-VIII of Fig. 7.

The invention is herein illustrated as embodied in a machine of the type illustrated for example in the Knowlton Patent No. 1,602,618 hereinbefore referred to. Machines of this type comprise a machine frame or column 10 having at its upper end a head 12 in which are mounted two tack drivers 14 and 16 constructed and arranged to drive two temporary tacks through the back line portion of a shoe upper and into a last on which the upper is mounted thereby to hold the heel end portion of the upper in assembled position on the last. The machine is also provided with a tack driver 18 constructed and arranged to drive a permanent tack through the overwiped back line portion of the upper and through the insole on the last bottom, this tack being clenched against a metal plate on the heel end portion of the last bottom. For mounting a last such, for example, as the last 20 illustrated in Fig. 1 and a shoe upper 22 loosely mounted thereon the illustrated machine is provided with a work support identified generally by the numeral 24. I The work support is swung manually from its loading station illustrated in Fig. 1 into an operating station in which the last and the shoe upper thereon are located lengthwise thereof by engagement with two V blocks 26 forming portions of the back tack driver mechanism. The heel end portion of the upper is urged against the V blocks by the action of a spring 28 which actuates a hook 3d constructed and arranged to exert a cam action on a roll 32 mounted between rearwardly extending arms of the work supporting assembly. Tacks are supplied to the tack drivers from a hopper 34 at the top of the machine frame and are fed from the hopper through a separating mechanism 35 to tack tubes communicating with the tack drivers.

In the operation of the illustrated machine a shoe upper, such as the upper 22 illustrated in Fig. l, is loosely Patented Jan. 22, 1957 mounted on a last and the last is mounted in inverted position on a last pin 36 at the upper extremity of the work supporting assembly. The heel end portionof the upper is then adjusted widthwise of the last and angularly in order to position the back line or seam of the upper in proper relation to the extremity of the heel portion of the last. In order to facilitate the adjustment of the heel end portion of the upper on the last and to provide for the accurate location of the back line of the upper relatively to the last a projector 38 is constructed and arranged to cast a narrow rectilinear shadow on the heel end of the upper along a line identifying the desired position of the back seam of the upper. The projector is mounted between parallel arms 49 pivotally mounted at their lower ends on a horizontal shaft 42 and positioned between two collars 44 (Fig. 7) each having formed integrally therewith upwardly extending-segments 46. In order to provide for angular adjustment of the projector 38 about the shaft 42 each of the segments 46 has formed in its upper portion an arcuate slot 48 (Fig. l) concen tric to the shaft 42 and a headed clamping screw 50 extends through the slot 48 and into the arm 40. In order to provide access from the front of the machine to the tack hopper 34 and the tack separating mechanism 35 the shaft 42 is fixed in an arm 52 (Fig. 1) which is mounted for swinging movement on a vertical axis to permit the transfer of the projector to an offset position thus leaving the tack hopper and the tack distributing mechanism readily accessible from the front of the machine. As shown in Fig. l the rear end portion of the arm 52 is bifurcated for engagement with the opposite end portions of a vertical cylindrical boss 54 at the forward end of an arm 56 fixed to the machine head 12 and a headed pivot pin 58 extends through the boss 54 and the adjacent portions of the arm 52. In order to provide for the location of the projector in its operative position an arm 60 (Fig. 8) secured to the right side of the head 12 and extending forwardly therefrom is provided with a semicircular recess which receives the free end portion of the shaft 42 and a clamping member 62 is pivotally mounted at the forward end of the arm 60 and provided with a semicircular recess which registers with the recess in the arm 60 and is secured in clamping engagement with the free end portion of the shaft 42 by a wing nut 64 mounted on a threaded stem 65 projecting from a head 67 pivotally mounted between ears 69 projecting upwardly from the forward portion of the arm 60. The stem 65 registers with a vertical open ended slot 71 (Fig. 7) in the upper extremity of the clamping member 62. The stem swings downwardly into the slot 71 to bring the wing nut 64 into position for clamping engagement with the upper end portion of the clamping member 62, as shown in Fig. 8.

The projector 38 and the work supporting assembly are so constructed and arranged with relation to each other and with relation to the operator that the heel end of the shoe mounted on the work support in its loading station is in the field of the projector and also in the range of vision of the operator when the operator is standing in his usual position in the front of the machine. As shown in Fig. l the shoe in its loading station is inclined downwardly at an angle of approximately thirty degrees to the vertical with its heel end uppermost thus permitting the operator to see the shadow cast on the heel end of the shoe while standing in a normal position. In order to provide for the angular mounting of the shoe in the loading station, as shown in Fig. 1, and also for the location of the shoe in 'a horizontal position in the operating station, the illustrated machine is provided with means for mounting the last pin 36 permitting the location of the last pin in either of two predetermined positions as shown in Fig. 4. The full line showing of the last pin in Fig. 4 indicates the vertical position in which the last pin is located when the work supporting assembly is in its operating station and the broken line showing of the last pin indicates its angular position, this being the usual position of the last pin when the work supporting assembly is in its loading station illustrated in Fig. 1. As shown in Figs. 4 and 5, the last pin 36 is fixed in and projects upwardly at right angles from a plate 66 having the general shape of the plane cone face of the heel end portion of a last. The forward portion of the plate 66 is provided with an open ended slot 68 (Fig. 5) extending from the front of the plate rearwardly and centrally located between the opposite sides of the plate. Positioned in the slot is an our 70 projecting upwardly from a head 72 (Fig. 4) at the upper end of a shaft 74. The plate 66 is pivotally mounted on a pin 76 mounted in the forward portions of the plate and extending through a bore in the ear 70. The last pin is located in its full line position shown in Fig. 4 by the engagement of the plane bottom surface of the plate 66 with the plane top surface of the head 72, and the broken line position of the last pin in Fig. 4 is determined by the engagement of the forward portion of the bottom surface of the plate 66 with angular surfaces formed in the head 72 at opposite sides of the car 70, one of said angular surfaces being shown in Fig. 4 and identified by the numeral 78. The last pin assembly is maintained by gravity in its full line position in Fig. 4 when there is no shoe in the machine but assumes its broken line position when a shoe is mounted on the last pin and the action of gravity on the shoe causes the last pin assembly to swing forwardly into its broken line position. Referring to Fig. 1, the shaft 74 is mounted in the upper portion of a tubular spindle 3i? and the spindle is mounted on a carrier in the form of an arm $2 pivotally mounted at 84 in the forward portion of the base of the machine column. Except as hereinafter described, the mounting of the spindle 80 on the arm 82 is substantially the same as in the machine illustrated and described in the Knowlton Patent No. 1,602,618, hereinbefore referred to, and reference may be had to said patent for a further description of the work supporting assembly.

It will be understood that the last in its loading station must be rigidly maintained in a position having a predetermined relation to the projector in order that the shadow cast by the projector will fall in a position accurately defining the desired location of the back seam of the upper. To this end means is provided in the last pin assembly for fixing the orientation of the last on the last pin, and means is provided for stabilizing the spindle when the work supporting assembly is in its loading station in order to prevent misplacement of the last by inadvertent movement of the work support. The orientation of the last with relation to the last pin assembly is determined by two ears 86 (Fig. 5) projecting upwardly from the plate 66 at opposite sides of the forward portion of the plate. The cars 86 are so spaced from each other that they register accurately with the forward portion of a plate 88 (Fig. 6) fixed to the plane cone face of the last 20, said plate being characterized by a reduced forward portion having parallel rectilinear side edge faces 90 extending from the front of the plate rearwardly and arranged to register with the inner surfaces of the ears 86 when the last is mounted on the last pin 36 and correctly oriented relatively thereto.

For maintaining a predetermined and constant position of the spindle 89 when the work supporting assembly is in its loading station, as shown in Fig. 1, the illustrated machine is provided with a stabilizer comprising an arm 92 secured to the machine column 10 and extending forwardly therefrom. For holding the spindle 80 against movement in the direction of its longitudinal axis a notch 96 is formed in the forward end portion of the arm 92, said notch being constructed and arranged to receive a roll 98 (Fig. 2) pivotally mounted on a headed pin 100. The pin 100 is fixed in and projects laterally from 21 marginal extension 102 (Fig. 3) of a collar 104 fixed to the spindle 80. For holding the spindle against rotary movement and against movement widthwise of a last on the last pin 36 a pair of rolls 106 (Fig. 2) are pivotally mounted on pins projecting upwardly from the marginal extension 102 of the collar 104. When the work supporting assembly is in its loading station the rolls 106 are confined between the right side wall of the channel member 94 (Fig. 3) and the adjacent surface of a reverse extension 108 of the arm 92, on which extension the channel member is mounted. During the movement of the work supporting assembly rearwardly from its loading station to its operating station the roll 98 moves out of the notch 96 in the arm 92 leaving the spindle 80 a limited range of movement in the direction of its longitudinal axis and the rolls 106 move out of their position of confinement within the channel member 94 thus permitting a limited range of rotary movement of the spindle on its longitudinal axis and a limited range of movement of the upper end portion of the spindle widthwise of a last mounted on the last pin.

In the operation of the illustrated machine a shoe upper such, for example, as the upper 22, illustrated in Fig. 1, is loosely mounted on its last, and the last with the upper manually held thereon is mounted on the last pin 36. With the last and the upper in their positions shown in Fig. 1 the operator views the heel end portion of the upper and makes such adjustments of the upper as may be required to cause the back seam of the upper to coincide with a shadow line cast on the upper by the projector 38. After so adjusting the upper the operator manually grips the upper against the last in order to hold it in its adjusted position relatively thereto and then swings the upper and the last, together with the last pin assembly, in a counterclockwise direction, as seen in Fig. 1, about the pivot pin '76 (Fig. 4) and into a position in which the plate 66 is supported by the upper surface of the head 72, as indicated in full lines in Fig. 4. The operator then moves the last and the upper together with the work supporting assembly rearwardly in order to bring the shoe into its operating station, or otherwise stated, into position to be operated upon by the tack drivers 14, 16, and 18. During the rearward movement of the last and the upper a depressor 110 engages the heel end portion of an insole on the last bottom and moves the last and upper together with the spindle 80 downwardly in order to locate the shoe in predetermined relation heightwise thereof to the operating instrumentalities. During the rearward movement of the last and upper the spindle 80 is freed from the control of the channel member 94 and immediately thereafter the last and upper come into the field of operation of a pair of side pressers one of which is identified in Fig. 1 by the numeral 112. As the last and the upper thereon come to the limit of their rearward movement the extremity of the heel portion of the upper engages the V-blocks 26 which determine the position of the last and the upper widthwise thereof relatively to the operating instrumentalities. The rearward movement of the work supporting assembly also operates a one-revolution clutch mechanlilsirrrli (not shown) to start the power cycle of the mac e.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In an assembling machine, the combination with a machine frame and means for fastening a shoe upper to an insole on a last bottom, of a work support having an operating station and a loading station, said work support being mounted to swing on a fixed fulcrum, and means for holding the work support against rotation on its longitudinal axis, said means comprising a member fixed to the machine frame, and cooperating means carried by the work support at a position above the fulcrum.

2. In an assembling machine, the combination with a machine frame and means for fastening a shoe upper to an insole on a last bottom, of a work support mounted to swing on a fixed fulcrum, and means for holding the work support against rotation on its longitudinal axis,

said means comprising a track spaced from the fulcrum and means movable in a path determined by the track.

3. In an assembling machine, the combination with a machine frame and means for fastening a shoe upper to an insole on a last bottom, of a Work support, and means for holding the work support against rotation on its longitudinal axis, said means comprising a track and means movable between an operative position and an inoperative position in a path determined by the track.

4. In an assembling machine, the combination with a machine frame and means for fastening a shoe upper to an insole on a last bottom, of a work support mounted to swing on a fixed fulcrum, and means for holding the work support against rotation on its longitudinal axis comprising a plurality of rolls carried by the work support and spaced from the fulcrum, and an arm fixed to the machine frame and having at its free end a track constructed and arranged to determine the path of movement of the rolls.

5. In an assembling machine, the combination with a machine frame and means for fastening a shoe upper to an insole on a last bottom, of a work support mounted on a fixed fulcrum for swinging movement between an operating station and a loading station, and means for holding the work support against rotation on its longitudinal axis, said means comprising a plurality of rolls carried by the work support and spaced from the fulcrum and an arm fixed to the machine frame and characterized by a track constructed and arranged positively to position the rolls when the work support is in its loading station.

6. In an assembling machine, the combination with means for fastening a shoe upper to an insole on a last bottom, of a work support having an operating station and a loading station, and means for holding the work support against rotation on its longitudinal axis comprising a plurality of rolls carried by the work support and means operable when the work support is in its loading station to hold the rolls positively against movement widthwise of a shoe on the support in a plane perpendicular to said longitudinal axis.

7. In an assembling machine, the combination with means for fastening a shoe upper to an insole on a last bottom, of a work support comprising a carrier, a spindle mounted on the carrier for endwise movement relatively to the carrier, and a stabilizer operating on the spindle between its extremities to hold the spindle against endwise movement and against rotation on its longitudinal axis and against movement widthwise of a last on the support.

8. In a shoe machine, the combination, with operating instrumentalities and a projector, of a work support mounted for movement between a loading station and an operating station, a last pin assembly on the work support, and a head on the work support constructed and arranged to mount the last pin assembly for angular movement between a first predetermined position and a second predetermined position, the first predetermined position of the last pin assembly serving to position a shoe on the last pin relatively to the operating instrumentalities when the work support is in its operating station and the second predetermined position serving to locate the heel end portion of a shoe on the last pin in the field of the projector when the work support is in its loading station.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,026,940 Ashton May 21, 1912 1,030,827 McFeely June 25, 1912 1,602,618 Knowlton Oct. 12, 1926 1,604,198 Seely Oct. 26, 1926 1,620,793 Barclay et al Mar. 15, 1927 1,726,833 Holmgren Sept. 3, 1929 FOREIGN PATENTS 646,383 Germany June 12, 1937 

